June is National Indigenous History Month, and June 21is National Indigenous Peoples Day.
The Governor General of Canada proclaimed June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day in 1996, an occasion for Canadians to come together, reflect on and celebrate the unique heritage, traditions, and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples. We are deeply grateful for the x m;:)9kw;:)y;:)m (Musqueam), Skwxwu'Zrnesh (Squamish), and solilwctal (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations who have continued to inhabit and steward these lands every day since time immemorial. We are also grateful for the contributions of Urban Indigenous community members, past, present and future, in shaping our city. W
Artwork created by Skundaal
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This artwork was created by Skundaal, a Haida artist and master carver who also goes by Bernie Williams (Gul-Giit-Jaad; Golden Spruce Woman). She is ofSt'langng Jaanas/Laanas clan in Haida Gwaii. As a long time Downtown Eastside resident she is a passionate advocate against the discrimination, abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, and exploitation against Aboriginal and 2SLGBTQ+ women and girls.
Collective mourning for Indigenous children who never returned home We recognize that discrimination, abuse, and exploitation ofIndigenous peoples is over 150 years in the making, and is ongoing. This year, National Indigenous History Month is dedicated to the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of residential schools. Extending our heartfelt condolences and acknowledging the collective grief of the Tk'emlups te
Secwepemc First Nation and Indigenous communities across the country, City Hall and Burrard Bridge will be illuminated orange from 9 pm to midnight on June 21, for the children who never returned home. Our staff and leadership grieve alongside our Indigenous colleagues and with Indigenous communities across Canada. This remains a deeply painful time for residential school survivors and their families. We offer the reminder that the Indian Residential School Survivors Society is available for those that may need counselling or support at 1-800-721-0066. A 24-hour crisis line is also available at 1-866-925-4419.
Resources for Indigenous Peoples Saa'ust Centre, brought to life by the Urban Indigenous Peoples' Advisory Committee's community, is an oasis for families and survivors affected by the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) First Nations Health Authority External website, opens in new tab provides culturally safe and traumainformed cultural, emotional, and mental health services to Indigenous people in BC. Kuu-Us Crisis Line Society External web site, opens in new tab provides crisis services for Indigenous people across BC. Adults and Elders can call 250-723-4050 for support; youth can call 250-723-2040. A toll-free number is available at 1-800-588-8717. At Vancouver Public Library's Connection to Kith and Kin External web site, opens in new tab, experts help Indigenous participants search online records for family documents. Searching can be an emotional experience. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society has provided a Resolution Health Support Worker to join the participants during their journey.
How you can listen, learn, act All settlers on this land have a responsibility to understand and address the ongoing impacts of colonization. We encourage residents to learn more about First Nations, Iiiiiitand Metis communities with the • following resources: Organize a reading group with friends or colleagues to read one of: "Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada External website , and understand the "Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls External website, which includes 231 individual Calls for Justice for governments, institutions, and all Canadians *Red Women Rising: Indigenous Women Survivors in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside For information on events and gatherings look for posters, ask your friends and call Nicole Bird, Carnegies Indigenous Affairs Programm1r, at 604-665-3317
Being Changed by Indigeneity Beginnings are such delicate times, with personal hopes subsumed by doubt and negativity or launched by possibilities. The following reflection on my sojourn in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside deals with how the Indigenous peoples have been and continue to be impacted by the colonialization of their world and how people are :'supposed to respond:' to the growing awareness. I have been part of the Downtown Eastside for over 40 years and learned slowly about residential schools, reservations and impacts. It touched me peripherally at first, not wanting to be touched / found wanting in responses to Indigenous perceptions. As awareness grows, as one is changed by what one touches, this kind of selfishness has to retreat and the feeling of what can be done has to grow. Personal biases seem normal at first, with the idea of offending minor. Every so often the prejudices of people boil up and the stereotypical constructs are voiced: "Why do you want to be treated so special?!" "What does being Native or Indian have to do with it?!" These show the outlook of people who have no concern for anything outside themselves or see little before yesterday. The idea of reconciliation gets little traction beyond simple or narrow symbolic gestures as any sea-change in existing structures or societal norms is against mostly unconscious paradigms. Examples are marching for reconciliation, which may alleviate white guilt for an hour or so and leave the non-native Indigenous participants feeling like they've :'done their bit'." Another is making a big show of recognizing an Indigenous artist or writer, giving the non-natives Indigenous involved some token relief that their words and spending of money are somehow:' good enough' .: Maybe it's cynicism to give such shallow interpretations but that is fed by the same frustration that Indigenous peoples must feel. Cynicism says that little changes are meaningless or insignificant, but that's an outlook that has a place only in disappointment and frustration at the slowness of recognizable change. The right outlook is to celebrate even the most minor changes, the smallest differences, the most miniscule awakenings. It is in the ideation of "the long haul" that historic comparisons hold power. When every touch makes a change, and every change changes the toucher, that those waves of change pick up and join with other waves of change and progress is manifest. Several decades ago, the idea ofthere being an Indigenous university would have been laughable; Indigenous peoples being part of learning institutions and businesses and community leaders was only conceded if they had become apple (white) Indianslndigenous peoples, not peoples carrying their Indigeneity with them as an integral part of their identitiesy and not letting such be washed off or away as they struggle to be :'taken for white'." This is what concerns many non-nativeslndigenous people-- - that this reconciliation leads to unseating them from dominance. This kind of rigidity is anathema to Indigenous peoples. The lines that seemed to demarcate Indigenous and no~-lindigenous in historical narratives now often seem ludicrous but, at the time, the victors writing the accounts were satisfied that they were reporting in a way that would keep the power dynamics solidly in favour of the colonizers. Treaty negotiations and strictures were fine until expansion or expropriation was the "logical" next step. Then it apparently all went into the trash until the grabbing had fallen below a mass perceptual level. This is where the changes sought now are being resisted and getting solidarity. What troubles now is the inability ofIndigenous peoples to "be nice" and just go along with the status quo in terms ofland claims, treatment and opportunity. I don't perceive that there is a definitive body of white powerbrokers consciously deciding how to stymie and derail Indigenous progress. That's too caught up in the realm of conspiracy theories to have much validity. And I do appreciate the outlook of:'a little here and a little there:' being the way forward in terms ofIndigenizing many areas of society. The Hum theme of:All that you touch you change._All that you change, changes you," is the best ideation to keep in the forefront of our minds. And the bugaboo of fear can best be dealt with in a way of
thinking that Frank Herbert put forth in his 1965 book DUNE: "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." Respectfully
submitted, PaulR
Taylor
Overdue Fines? Not Anymore! Starting June 1, VPL is no longer charging overdue fmes on all VPL material. Any outstanding late charges will be removed from borrowers' accounts. Eliminating overdue fmes is another way VPL is helping to address affordability in Vancouver. Effective June 1,2022 *Overdue fmes are eliminated for all VPL items, including Fast Reads, Quick Views, musical instruments and interlibrary loans *Existing overdue fines will be cleared from your \"'\I account through an automated process. No action is I ra" . _required but it may take a few weeks to update all A little news about the Daily News sheets - As BC accounts COVID-19 restrictions have been rolled back and *You will receive additional r!iminder notifications we are receiving less frequent health updates from (by phone or email) to return overdue materials government we will be transforming the Daily If an item is not return~d within 23 ~ays of its due News into the Weekly News. The Weekly News date, the car~holder will have a lo~t 1te~ charge atwill tie updated every Sunday starting on June 12th ta~hed to the1~ account. When the item 1Sreturned, and will provide recent local COVID-19 inforthis charge will be removed . mation. We really value being able to offer updates All ot.he~ fees and charges remam unchanged. Go to and local news and will continue to do so thank our ~mlJts, I:Iolds and Charges page for up-to-date . rt ' details. Email, call (604-331-3670) or speak to staff you fior your ongomg suppo . . ... o Th d J e 2'" d f . 3·00 7·00PM rt if you have any questions about this service change n urs ay u.n .H rom . ".': . ' as pa or about fmes on your account. of the Community Death Care Project, wnter and poet Hari Alluri will be hosting a eulogy writing Why has VPL done this? session, "Eulogy Writing: Memory as a Living Be*Fines can impact anyone at any time, for many reaing". "For those of us who have lost someone, the sons. VPL is for everyone and we don't want fines to eulogy can be a way to reconnect. In this workshop, be a barrier. we will gather language, tune into our memories *Library fines disproportionately affect those who and understanding, and make offerings with our need the library the most. By eliminating overdue words, either a eulogy for those we carry with us or fmes, VPL will ensure that critical library services drafting our own as a gift to our loved ones." are available to everyone regardless of their socioTo register for this please visit the Vancouver Pubeconomic status. lic Library Carnegie Branch or call (604)665-3010 *Removing overdue charges will reconnect people -Izzy with their library and keep library services accessible and affordable for all.
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CITY OPERA VANCOUVER
City Opera at Oppenheimer Park Wednesday 15 June 2022 7 - 8pm featuring popular music from opera -- and tenor Matej Kockovsky, baritone Jason Cook, and pianist Roger Parton. free of course, thanks to BC Gaming and the Camegie Centre this is City Opera's 70th event in the DTES since our founding in 2006
Sacrifice
Come-let us place Our offerings Upon the fire of creation Watch them sizzle and pop Immolating hopes Cauterizing complacency Let us do What we must do With offerings as ample As ashes rising Somewhere to nowhere Somehow -- Stewbaba
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[Response from a friend of the poet] This poem is quite significant! It may be hard to explain all of the layers. As you may remember, I've been a part of the Burning Man community since 2000. At these events, community members build large scale sculptures, which are then burned at the end of the event. There's the Man Bum on Sat night, and then the Temple Bum on Sunday. The Temple specifically is a place where people come throughout the week, and leave messages to those they have lost, releasing things they want to let go of, leaving mementos from their departed's lives, all manner of offerings. On Sunday the bum is solemn and quiet, if you can imagine 40-70 thousand people all sitting in silence watching a massive structure bum. We watch in awe as the flames roar, the ashes rise, and we feel indescribable sensations. '11 The other part is that I'm off to Europe next week, to the Spain Burning Man regional event, 4000 people in a desert environment. The event is called ... Nowhere. 2 weeks before, there's a new Burning Man regional event in Portugal, which they have called Somewhere. And how! Thank you for sharing your poems and for having an impact on me. Much love and admiration.
2022-2023 Board of Directors of the
Camegie Community Centre Association Executive Gilles Cyrenne (President) Paul Taylor (Vice-president) Thelma Jack (Treasurer) Lorraine Jack (Secretary) James Pau (Member-at-Large) Members of the Board: Emma Price Yvonne Mark Carol Martin Tina Eastman Mike Tapp Les Nelson Ethel Whitty (ex-officio)
lames Pau is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. lames has received many awards and accolades for his community work, offering medical aid to lowincome people as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the recent graduation exercises at Simon Fraser University lames Pau was given an Honourary Degree as Doctor of Laws, the highest honour, for his 47 years of work. Following is the Convocation Address of Dr. lames Pau: [Greetings to dignitaries, former Carnegie Director Michael Clague, and Territorial acknowledgement] "Today I am honoured and humbled to receive the Honourary Degree Doctor of Laws from my Alma Mater that I attended in 1979. Today is the graduates' big day too. I am proud of you. Congratulations and all the best to you. Some of you will enter the working world of your training or profession; some will continue the life-long process of learning and education. I wish you all wil have a life that is healthy, creative and inspirational. In your future endeavours, please spend some time to help the less advantaged - children, teenagers living in poverty, people with disabilities and mental health ... Ass an example I operated a wellness centre in Vancouver for nine years without charging my patients any fee. My expenses came from my salary working as a nurse in hospitals. A community member once wrote this in the Carneegie Newsletter (July 1,2009): "As time went on, lames used his savings, not to buy a car or a place to live, but to become a practitioner of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. He offered treatments to anyone who asked, regardless of their ability to pay." In life we need to have a purpose, to make sacrifices. We have to try to overcome difficulties with persistence. I completed my courses at SFU but not without hurdles. I had to study, attend classes and, at the same time, I had to support my family by working as a health care professional. Hard work helped me to ._ achieve my goal. Take some time out for spiritual pursuit that helps your body and mind. I was one of the co-founderss and Social Spiritual Chair of the Downtown Eastside HIV-AIDS Intravenous Drug User Consumer Board, and a eo-founder of Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU} People use illicit drugs for various reasons: Trauma, abuse, anger, failure and hopelessness etc. I would recommend my patients give themselves consolation by taking a walk, practicing Tai Chi Chuan, martial arts; giving themselves warmth by talking to a good friend. When they came face to face with failure, fear, etc. I would recommend that they watch comedies with a smile or do their favourite hobbies, such as painting. We are stronger emotionally and spiritually when we replace the habit ofus9ing drugs with healthy habits that are enjoyable. My former patients would tell me that when pleasure-seeking becomes a job, it ceases to be pleasurable, instead it becomes misery. Please~mbrace the drug-addicted with compassion and kindness to give them peace & comfort. All they need is someone to lean on. When we are prosperous, we need to give back to our communities through charitable donations. We can give to universities (especially SFU) & hospitals for advanced education research or the enedy. Our kindness and generosity will be remembered by future generations, and will serve as a model for inspiration. I was deeply moved by people who approached me to give me some money for coffee or to tell me I helped them before if I remember them. They reward me with happiness, satisfaction, and contentment. Simon Fraser University is a big, loving family. Please come back to commit, to engage and to participate in its various activities, including the alumni association. It is here that I have met many old and new friends. They enrich my life and I always enjoy them. Thank you all. Have a wonderful afternoon, happiness, good health and prosperity in days ahead. All the best to you all."
Recipients of degrees and their guests all sat down to the Chancellor's Dinner at the Hotel Vancouver. lames invited friends from the Downtown Eastside and one came from Calgary.
Paul, James, Thelma and Gilles
Emily Hunter and James James and Peter Hall
Hello Writers and Poets I'm getting in touch because I have an opportunity for Poets! We are thrilled to be partnering with Vancouver Public Library and the Vancouver Park Board to offer Poetry in Parks from July 7- April 6 2023. We need writers who are interested in leading a monthly session in Oppenheimer Park. The purpose is to support DTES Writers in creating new poems of every kind. If you are interesting in facilitating one of these sessions, please read on. Let me know if you are interested and available for any of the following dates and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Dates: All sessions are on Thursdays at Oppenheimer Park from 1:00pm-3:00pm. July 7, 2022 August 4, 2022 September 1,2022 October 6, 2022 November 3, 2022 December 1, 2022 January 5, 2023 February 2, 2023 March 2, 2023 April 6, 2023 Materials costs can be supported by Carnegie Community Centre. Photocopying can be done at Carnegie in advance of program dates.
Are you interested in hosting a documentary film viewing? As it becomes safer for the Carnegie to offer more programs and services, new opportunities will arise for volunteers at the Centre. I'm writing today to inform you of one such opportunity: hosting our upcoming Summer Documentary Film Series. The Summer Documentary Series will take place in the Carnegie Theatre, every Thursday from June 2nd to August 25th. Screenings are from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Access to these films will come from the Vancouver Public Library, who have a large selection of National Film Board films. The library can also lend documentaries on DVD for us to use. We are asking interested volunteers to choose a film (or films) they feel connected to, and introduce it to the audience at one or more of these showings. The shift runs from 1:OOpm5:00pm each week, and will be supported by a staff member, who will manage the projector, as well as other practical details. If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, please contact the Carnegie Volunteer Department at 604-665-2708
My Hawk Cry I twirled like a young girl in love with her dreams, seeing the skirt even twirl with me. I soared like a hawk above the world; seeing all of earth's colors and many different beautiful things, and the music I heard and the visions I've seen, all brought me to tears on my knees. It was so humble indeed the earth, and the people of the earth all standing around and 'loving me' the way I've died to be loved my whole life by somebody, the way I've cried out as a voice in the wilderness, in the middle of the night, thousands of times before. Hoping and praying for somebody to notice me, for somebody to love me. And then it happened ... I heard the hawks cry, and it Engraving Words was like paradise or when Mother earth first created the World known simply as Eden! Suddenly, for Hello Everyone! me, there was light. Somebody of the earth heard me crying in the night. They felt me give the offerSeeing as how it is indeed Indigenous Month, I thought I would take a break from politics and those ing that went unseen, and just like that I did indeed hear my friends ... other heavier matters in life, and share instead a poem, from a Children's Native Story book I have The Indian call! And now even in the night, for me had running around in my head for quite some time. it's light that I do see; how heavenly ... and how could I be any happier for the earth's light and the 'It is the opening segment of the story and the tale of the journey for the main characters in the work! I Mother of love _areboth now shining down on me. one day look forward to finishing this with the right The night when I did hear my loving friends, The Indian Call! talented aboriginal illustrators/artists. It's a wonderful story, an incredible journey for the To be continued ... lost little girl and the Great Hawk that rescues her By Jennifer Cooley and another wounded bird! Trying to get home for himself in time for a special fall celebration held by his owner and his tribe yearly before the snow and winter comes! If you think you have what it takes to help me with the accomplishment 01 the artwork for this story, I do so invite you to get in touch with me, send me a message and share some of your artwork and let me know a little about yourself & your ambitions, goals and dreams as an Indigenous Artist? I will respond to those whose work and story fits what I'm looking for! Thank-You! thewriterwon@gmail.com
HUMANITIES 101 held its graduation ceremony for the year in Carnegie. Following is the introduction in the Yearbook: "All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you." This quote, this year's Hum theme, was written by Black author Octavia E. Butler. It's from her book Parable of the Sower, published in 1993, set in 2024, and profoundly prescient of the current planetary conditions we find and make ourselves in: pandemic, war, climate emergency, food shortages, poverty and displacement; ongoing practices of violence against Indigenous, Black and Asian people; violence against women and trans people; and the toppling of monuments and "histories." So, we are amongst many people turning for insight and inspiration as we move towards "All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you." Right now, with our book in your hands, your palm against our spine, your touch catches, thorns awaken, and feelings may arise; are we not falling but ... rising in love?' Octavia's wise words drew us into-or they drew into us-deep reflection, clarity and appreciation for being together, for touching each other in our Hum Programmes: "You are my stage of courageous performances/ my good friend of silent lonely days/ and my tune to the long-lasting song of togetherness" (Shahla Masoumnejad pp. 116). Hum's long-lasting tune has been ever-changing for 24 years now. We are a community of connected differences, of notes like these ones that inhabit our melodies: "Socially, I value supportive, loving, honest and meaningful relationships within a thriving and stable community of self-motivated, mature beings that value self-worth and are mindful of feeling, rights, and the human dignity of others" (Joel Kumar pp. 93). Hum's community of graduates and alumni is now well over a thousand strong-even greater with Hum's hundreds of volunteers, teachers, student-staff, staff, faculty and supporters in the Downtown Eastside and Downtown South (DTES!South) of Vancouver, at the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, across Canada and abroad. "When every touch makes a change, and every change changes the toucher, those waves of change pick up and join with other waves of change and progress is manifest" (PaulR Taylor pp. 20). Waves of change progress through ripples of diffraction and interference. Again this year, our "waves of change" wove those in Vancouver-in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil- Waututh Nations-with those in Edmonton on the ancestral territory of the Papaschase Nehiyawak Cree First Nation, Treaty 6, in Amiskwaciwaskahikan We learned much from and with each other and these respected Nations, and especially appreciate Hum alumna Vivian Bomberry (Six Nations of the Grand River, Haudenosaunee Territory, Cayuga Nation) who taught us about her family's experiences of the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario. "Touching changes life because so many cruelties affect the soul of a human being .... In our writing, being able to express what we feel is to touch our hearts and change our way of thinking and acting" (Raul A Castillo Rios pp. 22). Here, our writingjmd images are expressions, gestures, acts and commitments. Many are "blue-sky" expressions-creative, inspiring, focused, uninhibited-woven in dusk-coloured cloth under a spring sky. Congratulations to the graduating Hum participants, with much appreciation to all of the volunteers, teachers, faculty and staff in Vancouver and Edmonton who've kindly and roundly contributed to this year's courses, both online and in person. "I appreciate how much the class has given us-it's like a stream ofwater going through your brain, so fresh it takes you away from your worries. In these classes, having new ideas coming into your mind is so like a mountain stream. I have always felt this in Hum classes." (Anna Smith pp. 117) Hum's ME WE includes current participants and all alumni of Hum courses, going back to 1998 when the programme began at UBC. This year, two long-term, active alumni passed away, both of them beloved stars in the Downtown Eastside's sky: Robyn Livingstone and Joan Morelli-our tributes to them are on pages 129-131. We want to congratulate Hum alumna Sandi Rooke (Saulteaux-Cree) for completing her first year as an undergraduate student in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, and new UBCgraduate Rodney Little Mustache (piikani Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy) for all the spectacular activism
he contributed to the UBC campus during his Bachelor of Arts degree. All Hum alumni are invited members of the programme's Steering Committee which meets regularly in the DTES/South or online. Hum is part of UBC and downtown communities, and for two decades held free, open public programmes at many DTES/South community centres with which Hum has long-term relationshi ps: Camegie Centre, tlie Gathering Place, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and, more recently, the nec'a?mat et Strathcona Branch of the Vancouver Public Library. These public programmes have been initiated and led by enthusiastic and steadfast participants, alumni and volunteers-new graduates are welcome to start their own-and supported by Hum staff and workers at these community centres. After two long years living "together apart" because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we sure are looking forward to getting back into our public programmes! I'd like to conclude with another touching quote by a fresh Hum graduate: "This year especially, we learned we are made of the stuff of stars; and as star stuff evolving, may we all go forth encouraging one another, expanding on the gifts here. Thank you to all!" (A. pp. 118) Very best, always, Dr. Margot Leigh Butler Academic Director, Hum
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university set free. HUM'S SUMMER WRITING WORKSHOP Where: Carnegie Centre, Classroom lion the third floor When: Five sessions meeting on June 20; 27, 29 Facilitator: C1aire Matthews
& July 4,6
10:30 a.rn. -:- 12:00 p.m.
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Drawing on Hum's 2021122 theme "All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you," over the course of five workshops this writing mini-series will focus on ekphrasis and book review writing, with a brief introduction to the art of writing first lines. Through meditative drawing, writing exercises and discussion, we'll energize our writing practices and build confidence in putting words to the page. We'll experiment with how our sentences can be changed by images-touch, sight, taste, sound and smell-and develop first lines, first drafts, and the first spark of an idea. EVERYONE WELCOME NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY PARTICPANTS CAN JOIN AT ANY TIME!
Website: humanitieslOl.arts.ubc.ca
Email: h.u.m@ubc.ca
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Mad Pride was founded by four men with first hand experience of using mental health services; Mark Roberts, Simon Barnett, Robert Dellar, and Pete Shaughnessy. Simon had gone to a gay pride event and thought that there should be something similar for people with mental health issues. He had been involved in an organisation called Survivors Speak Out - a blueprint for what today is called the "user movement", where mental health patients come together to network and defend their rights - but all four men believed that there needed to be a group for mental health patients that resembled something more of a liberation army. "It seemed like the right time to fight back," explains Robert Dellar over the phone. Robert worked for the charity Mind when he got involved with Mad Pride, but had also suffered from mental health problems himself, treated on and off for depression and anxiety. "Back then there was a hell of a lot of stigma against people with mental health issues in the media," he says. "People with schizophrenia, for example, were portrayed as violent and stabbing people all the time. Yes, there were a couple of high profile cases that made the cover of newspapers, but what annoyed us was that if you looked at the statistics, homicides committed by people with mental health issues weren't really any higher than those committed by other people. It seemed unfair." The other problem at the time, says Rob, was the way that drug companies were interacting with the mental health sector. "The government was encouraged by the media and one or two maverick charities to put forward legislation that increased coercion of people with mental health issues," he says. "There was legislation that compelled them to accept treatment they might not have wanted -like medication - which of course has its advantages but may also have had life-shortening side effects." Fed up with this legislative attitude to mental health, Mad Pride started recruiting members. "We were quite attention seeking," remembers Rob. "People thought it was lively and wanted to get involved." The type of people they attracted was broad, he says - a lot of punks, anarchists, lefties, and people with all sorts of different clinical diagnoses, as well as professionals who worked in the sector. But their common -- experience lay in having the same frustrations about how mental health services were run. "Mad Pride never had a strictdefinition," Rob muses, "it was very free floating." . Today a name like "Mad Pride" would stand out as problematic; "mad" seems like an outdated and derogatory term. I ask if it was at the time, if they were trying to reclaim it. "We were up to a point," he answers, "but it was about more than reclaiming, it was undermining the prejudicial use." "It was always intended to provoke and I think it still does," adds Mark Roberts. "Some mental health survivors hate itbut we obviously liked it a lot." Mark compares the use of "Mad" in the context to the way black people use the word fIn_If - "it shocks outsiders," he says. "Personally I capitalise Mad to denote it as a political term, just as some Disabled People do likewise." Both Mark and Rob agree that Mad Pride was a product of its time; an organisation they can't see existing today. Pharmac utical companies have been so successful in marketing anti-depressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs, that these days a huge number of people are on them - one in eleven people with mental health problems. As more people are classed as mentally ill, arguably the stigma fades. And yet, Rob says, the downside of this is that it's contributed to a climate where it seems like mental health issues are sometimes no big deal. "OK, so one in four people might have experienced mental illness of some kind. We need to remember that one in four hundred are suffering really badly and their lives are at risk ... but they're getting abandoned," he says. That's been Mad Pride's most vital legacy, he says. "It created a community, a lot of friendships, a kind of alternative society. When mainstream society rejected people who are mentally ill, that was important." This is background-June
is also Mad Pride month.
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